Name: ____________________
PrepUS History
Date: _______________
9-11
What Happened
On September 11, 2001, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four
airliners and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two of the planes were flown
into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside
Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Often referred to as 9/11, the
attacks resulted in extensive death and destruction, triggering major U.S. initiatives to combat terrorism
and defining the presidency of George W. Bush. Over 3,000 people were killed during the attacks in New
York City and Washington, D.C., including more than 400 police officers and firefighters.
On September 11, 2001, at 8:45 a.m. on a clear Tuesday morning, an American Airlines Boeing 767
loaded with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New
York City. The impact left a gaping, burning hole near the 80th floor of the 110-story skyscraper,
instantly killing hundreds of people and trapping hundreds more in higher floors. As the evacuation of the
tower and its twin got underway, television cameras broadcasted live images of what initially appeared to
be a freak accident. Then, 18 minutes after the first plane hit, a second Boeing 767–United Airlines Flight
175–appeared out of the sky, turned sharply toward the World Trade Center and sliced into the south
tower near the 60th floor. The collision caused a massive explosion that showered burning debris over
surrounding buildings and the streets below. America was under attack.
The attackers were Islamic terrorists from Saudi Arabia and several other Arab nations. Reportedly
financed by Saudi fugitive Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda terrorist organization, they were allegedly acting
in retaliation for America’s support of Israel, its involvement in the Persian Gulf War and its continued
military presence in the Middle East. Some of the terrorists had lived in the United States for more than a
year and had taken flying lessons at American commercial flight schools. Others had slipped into the
country in the months before September 11 and acted as the “muscle” in the operation. The 19 terrorists
easily smuggled box-cutters and knives through security at three East Coast airports and boarded four
flights bound for California, chosen because the planes were loaded with fuel for the long transcontinental
journey. Soon after takeoff, the terrorists commandeered the four planes and took the controls,
transforming ordinary commuter jets into guided missiles.
As millions watched the events unfolding in New York, American Airlines Flight 77 circled over
downtown Washington, D.C., and slammed into the west side of the Pentagon military headquarters at
9:45 a.m. Jet fuel from the Boeing 757 caused a devastating inferno that led to the structural collapse of a
portion of the giant concrete building. All told, 125 military personnel and civilians were killed in the
Pentagon, along with all 64 people aboard the airliner.
Less than 15 minutes after the terrorists struck the nerve center of the U.S. military, the horror in New
York took a catastrophic turn for the worse when the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed in
a massive cloud of dust and smoke. The structural steel of the skyscraper, built to withstand winds in
excess of 200 miles per hour and a large conventional fire, could not withstand the tremendous heat
generated by the burning jet fuel. At 10:30 a.m., the other Trade Center tower collapsed. Close to 3,000
people died in the World Trade Center and its vicinity, including a staggering 343 firefighters and
paramedics, 23 New York City police officers and 37 Port Authority police officers who were struggling
to complete an evacuation of the buildings and save the office workers trapped on higher floors. Only six
people in the World Trade Center towers at the time of their collapse survived. Almost 10,000 others
were treated for injuries, many severe.
Meanwhile, a fourth California-bound plane–United Flight 93–was hijacked about 40 minutes after
leaving Newark International Airport in New Jersey. Because the plane had been delayed in taking off,
passengers on board learned of events in New York and Washington via cell phone and Airfone calls to
the ground. Knowing that the aircraft was not returning to an airport as the hijackers claimed, a group of
passengers and flight attendants planned an insurrection. One of the passengers, Thomas Burnett Jr., told
his wife over the phone that “I know we’re all going to die. There’s three of us who are going to do
something about it. I love you, honey.” Another passenger–Todd Beamer–was heard saying “Are you
guys ready? Let’s roll” over an open line. Sandy Bradshaw, a flight attendant, called her husband and
explained that she had slipped into a galley and was filling pitchers with boiling water. Her last words to
him were “Everyone’s running to first class. I’ve got to go. Bye.”
The passengers fought the four hijackers and are suspected to have attacked the cockpit with a fire
extinguisher. The plane then flipped over and sped toward the ground at upwards of 500 miles per hour,
crashing in a rural field in western Pennsylvania at 10:10 a.m. All 45 people aboard were killed. Its
intended target is not known, but theories include the White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Camp David
presidential retreat in Maryland or one of several nuclear power plants along the eastern seaboard.
At 7 p.m., President George W. Bush, who had spent the day being shuttled around the country because
of security concerns, returned to the White House. At 9 p.m., he delivered a televised address from the
Oval Office, declaring, “Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they
cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of
American resolve.” In a reference to the eventual U.S. military response he declared, “We will make no
distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.”
Operation Enduring Freedom, the American-led international effort to oust the Taliban regime in
Afghanistan and destroy Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network based there, began on October 7. Within
two months, U.S. forces had effectively removed the Taliban from operational power, but the war
continued, as U.S. and coalition forces attempted to defeat a Taliban insurgency campaign based in
neighboring Pakistan. Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11th attacks, remained at
large until May 2, 2011, when he was finally tracked down and killed by U.S. forces at a hideout in
Abbottabad, Pakistan. In June 2011, President Barack Obama announced the beginning of large-scale
troop withdrawals from Afghanistan, with a final withdrawal of U.S. forces tentatively scheduled for
2014.
September 11, 2001, was the deadliest day in history for New York City firefighters: 343 were killed.
"9/11 Attacks." History.com. http://www.history.com/topics/9-11-attacks. 2010. (Accessed September 8, 2015).